They're Only Dreams
by thatisadorable
Summary: Claire is having dreams of Charlie. But what happens when she starts seeing him and is kidnapped by these unknown others? Ch. 9 up. r & r :
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost. **

**Characters: Claire. Mentions of Hurley and Desmond**

Claire sat on the sandy shore as the salty breeze played with her hair. She cradled Aaron in her arms, humming a soft melody. It had been just a few weeks after Charlie's death, but Claire still couldn't part with him. Thoughts of Charlie still ran through her mind, hoping, praying that he would walk up to her and sit down telling her a joke that she couldn't resist to laugh at. Charlie never came though, for he was gone.

She had wept for so long. No one dared to stare at her, for they didn't feel the sorrow that filled her heart. Hardly anyone talked to her anymore. Hurley was the only one because he too was close to Charlie. He felt her pain. Claire had run dry of tears though. She just stared sadly at the ocean for hours. She hardly ate or slept. Her only motive to keep going everyday was the little infant that lay in her arms. Even Aaron seemed to miss Charlie. He would often look around for the familiar face hoping that he would hold him for a while. He would then try reaching out to grab the invisible Charlie then burst into tears when no one came. Claire did her best to soothe her son, but she knew that only one thing, one person could make everything better, Charlie.

She often blamed herself for his death. Her and Desmond, of course. She didn't look at Desmond anymore, as he didn't to her. She knew that he felt guilt, that he would change Charlie's fate if he could, but the truth was that he didn't. They both had the power to stop him, well, that's what she told herself, at least. Maybe there was nothing she could do, but she refused to think that. And the thing that made it all worse that he had died for nothing. No boat, no rescue over came for the survivors. He died only to save the ones he cared most about, even if they didn't care for him. But on the brink of his death, when he thought he had saved them all, save the ones he loved, it was all shattered. The only thing he could do was warn Desmond until he slowly slipped into darkness.

Sorry this is so short. Next chapter will be longer!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Characters: Claire, Charlie, Kate,**

"_This bread is so dry," said Claire as she stood in the waves swallowing the last of the dry bread. She cradled Aaron in the sling Charlie had made for her. Aaron slept soundly._

"_Hey there, luv." said a familiar voice. _

_Claire spun around to see Charlie walking towards her with a jar of peanut butter. Claire smiled when she saw him. She walked up towards him and rapped her arms around his neck. He smiled as he gently kissed her on the lips. Claire smiled back. They sat down and watched Aaron snore a bit till Charlie removed the lid of the peanut butter. They both scooped up a big glob of it with they're fingers. Claire giggled as the taste of the peanut butter slowly melted on her tongue. Charlie smiled at her delight. Claire looked back up and him and rested her head on his shoulder._

"_I miss you, Charlie." she finally said. _

_Charlie closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head. Claire reached out for his hand, embracing it tightly. _

"_I know ya do," he replied. "But I'm not gone, I'm still with you."_

_A tear trickled down Claire's cheek. Charlie quickly wiped it away and gently held her chin so that she was looking at him._

"_I am never going to leave you."_

_Those words rung through out Claire's head. _

"_I'm never going to leave you…Never going to leave you…Never…Never…"_

Claire awoke to Aaron's wails. She quickly ran to her son, calming him hoping that he hadn't woken up anyone else in the camp. She realized that she had been crying and wiped away her tears. She kept hearing Charlie's voice in her head, what he had said to her. Her face grew sad again and realized that it was only a dream. Charlie never walked up to her and kissed her, they never ate peanut butter, he never promised to be with her always, it was merely a dream. A dream it was, and yet, she could still taste the peanut butter and the tip of her tongue. She could still feel his warm hands brushing away her tears. She held Aaron closer to her, fighting back tears.

Claire eventually pulled herself together and walked out of her tent to get some food. She had realized how hungry she was all of a sudden. She walked over to the kitchen. She grabbed a box of cereal and poured it into a bowl. And as for Aaron, she filled the bottle with some fresh milk. Normally she would get what she needed and retreat back to her tent or the spot Charlie usually hung out. Normally no one would say a word to her. Normally.

"Hi Claire," greeted her friend Kate. Kate had been off on adventures to God knows where with Jack lately, so Claire hadn't seen her much. Claire smiled lightly.

"Hey." 

"Listen Claire, do you think you could help me pick fruit today?"

Claire was a little shocked by her request. But she didn't question it. She simply nodded. Kate smiled.

"Great. Sun agreed to look after Aaron."

Kate grabbed a bottle of water and headed for the jungle. Claire gave Aaron to Sun and followed Kate.

Claire and Kate approached a mango tree. As usual, Kate would climb the tree and throw down the fruit as Claire collected the fruit on the ground. Today was no different. Kate basically did most of the talking. Claire didn't really have much to say. She simply listened to Kate talk. Not once did Kate ever mention Charlie, but that didn't stop Claire from thinking about him. 

"Okay, I think that pretty good for today. Let's head back to camp." Kate said climbing down a tree.

"Okay." Claire replied simply. 

Kate felt a little sad that her friend wasn't talking that much. But she didn't want to push her; she had just lost the man she loves. 

"Listen," started Claire. "You go ahead; I think I'm going to walk around for a bit."

"Okay, but stay close to the camp."

Claire felt like she was a child again who was being told what not to do. But she didn't get upset, she just nodded slightly. Kate smiled back and headed back for the beach.

Claire wandered around not really doing anything. She just wanted to be away from all of the people who had pity on her. She didn't want their pity, actually that was the last thing she wanted. The more they pitied her, the more it reminded her of Charlie. The more she thought about him, the sadder she became.

Claire stopped and took a break from all of the walking she was doing. She sat down on a fallen tree and took a sip of her water. She looked around and listened to the sounds of nature. She wanted to be happy and to be at peace with the world, but she just couldn't let go. She sighed and got back up and continued walking around. She stopped for a moment when she heard the bushes rustling behind her. She slowly turned her head to see, but nothing was there. She turned back around and slowly started walking again. 

"Hello, Claire,"

Claire froze. She turned back around to see who it was behind her. She gasped and raised her hand to her mouth as she backed up and almost burst into tears. 

"Ch-Charlie?" she asked in a shaky tone.

Charlie stood in front Claire in his classic jeans and tee, with one hand in his pocket. Charlie didn't have his 'DS' ring on. Claire put her hand down and walked toward Charlie. He backed up a bit.

"…Charlie, what are you doing here?"

He smiled. Then he turned around and started to walk away. 

"Wait, Charlie stop!" she shouted, but Charlie was already out of site. Claire sat down on the grass, trying to realize what had just happened. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Lost. ******

**Characters: Claire, Hurley, Charlie, Jack**

Claire sat on the grassy land, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Her hands still shook from the sight of her lost loved one, her Charlie. She closed her eyes and decided that she was just tired. She didn't see Charlie…did she? She got back up, brushed off her pants, and decided to head back to camp. She was just seeing things; that was it. 

She walked back into camp and headed toward Sun and Jin's tent. Inside, Sun was bouncing Aaron up down as Aaron giggled with delight. Sun saw Claire approaching and smiled. She kissed the top of Aaron's head and gave him back to his mom. 

"Thanks, Sun. Was he too much trouble?"

"Oh, no." Sun said shaking her head. "He was a perfect little angel."

Claire smiled and headed back to her tent. She put Aaron down for a nap and headed over to Charlie's spot. She sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest. Hurley walked up next to her and sat down. 

"Hey, dude," he started.

Claire smiled. "Hey, Hurley."

"How's it going?"

Claire sighed.

"Okay, I guess." she said looking down at her feet.

"Yeah, me too." 

They both sat quietly listening to the roar of the waves. Hurley looked up at the grey sky. A raindrop plopped right on Hurley's nose. He laughed a little to himself. Claire, actually no one, had seen Hurley laugh in a long while. It was refreshing, and it made Claire happy too. Soon enough, a heavy downpour started and everyone retreated to their tents. Well, almost everyone. Claire stayed right where she was and just let the rain drench her. She had always liked the rain, especially when she had a lot on her mind. Hurley tried to wave Claire back over to shelter, but Claire declined. She just sat, soaking in the sand. 

She closed her eyes for a moment or two. She opened them again and looked around at the beach, then the jungle. There was a dark figure standing near the jungle, she couldn't quite make out who it was. Lightening struck behind the figure and lit up his face. It was Charlie again. He stood there smiling over at Claire, drenched in the rain just as she was. She stood up and started to run towards him. She wasn't going to lose him this time. She was about to call out to him but he put his finger up to his lips. She restrained her voice. She was almost there, she almost had him. Lightening struck once more where he stood. Claire flung back trying not to get hit. When she looked back up, Charlie was gone. Hurley came running up to Claire.

"Dude, are you okay? That like almost hit you!"

Claire said nothing. She just stared at the blank spot where Charlie had stood.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Claire sat on the beach twirling her hair. Charlie walked up behind her. She stood up and faced him. He had the same smile on his face that had first won her heart over. She smiled back and grabbed his hand. They walked down the beach. _

"_Charlie, why did you leave?" Claire asked._

_Charlie didn't answer. _

"_Charlie?"_

"_Claire, I love you and I'll always protect you and Aaron, no matter what."_

_Claire blushed then paused a moment._

"_What are you protecting us from?"_

"_Anything and everything." he replied._

_Claire smiled again. She leaned over and kissed his cheek._

"_I love you so much."_

"_Claire, you need to save the baby."_

_Claire faced Charlie. He had a serious expression._

"_What?"_

"_Claire, you need to save the baby! Claire!" Charlie began to back up and kept on shouting those words._

"_Claire, save the baby! They baby is in danger! The baby!"_

"_Charlie! What is going to happen to Aaron?"_

_Claire froze as flashes of a bloody Charlie held a small infant in his arms. _

"_Save the baby, Claire, save the baby." He kept repeating._

_The infant started to cry in his arms. Then a flash of Charlie racing through the forest. Then he was screaming. He was lying on the floor, bloody with Aaron in his arms._

"_Save the baby, Claire. Save the baby."_

Claire woke up screaming. She was shaking and sweating franticly. She quickly ran over to Aaron's cradle to make sure he was okay. He was still sound asleep. Claire started to cry as she gently brushed her hand across Aaron's forehead. Jack burst through the tent flaps.

"Claire, are you okay?" he asked breathlessly. 

Claire wiped away her tears and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

Jack knelt down next to her.

"What happened, Claire?"

"It was nothing, just a nightmare."

Jack put his hand her shoulder then stood up again. 

"Well, if you need to talk about it, you know where to find me."

Claire smiled and nodded once more. Jack smiled back and walked out the tent. Claire took a deep breathe. She looked up and saw Charlie standing near her bed, all bloody. 

"Save the baby, Claire. Save the baby."

Claire closed her eyes tightly. She counted to five then opened them again. Charlie was gone once more. 

Sorry that none of them are long. I'll try harder!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**Characters: Claire, Charlie, Jack. Mentions of Kate, John, Sun, and Jin.**

Claire wasn't sure what to make of her dreams. Every night she would dream of Charlie, but each dream kept on getting scarier and scarier. Claire didn't talk about it, though. They'd just think she's going into denial or something. Claire kept on seeing Charlie around from time to time. Occasionally he would smile and wouldn't frighten Claire, but other times, she had to close her eyes and put her face in her hands. She didn't know why this was happening. Why was Charlie scaring Claire? Why does he want her to "save the baby?" Was Aaron in _real _danger? Claire just didn't know what to do.

Claire took a deep breathe and snuggled in for the night. She new she would dream about Charlie again. At times, she was afraid to go to sleep. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

_Claire was sitting in the lobby of the airport playing with Aaron on her lap. In the crowds, you could see a bald man in a wheelchair, an Asian couple, a woman in handcuffs, and a man yelling about his father's casket. Claire looked around for a moment or two before spotting Charlie. She smiled and waved him over. He looked up at her. You couldn't see his eyes because of his sunglasses and he had his guitar case on his back. He smiled and walked towards Claire._

"_Hello, luv." he said sitting down next to Claire._

"_Hey, Charlie." _

_Aaron giggled in delight. They both smiled down at him. Suddenly Aaron was gone; he was out of Claire's arms. She looked around franticly looking for her son. The crowd grew larger. But she heard a faint babies cry in the distance. Claire looked over at Charlie._

"_Charlie, where's Aaron!?_

_He didn't speak. He took off his sunglasses and looked Claire straight in the eyes. His eyes were white, nothing else. Claire saw flashes. She heard Aaron crying in the jungle. She went running after him.. Trees, more trees. Charlie was tied to a dead tree that dripped with blood. _

"_Save the baby, Claire. Save the baby."_

_There was a dark room. Crying came from it. Darkness, then flash of light. Jack and Jin sitting in a room, tied to chairs. Man in the shadows. Aaron laid on a table, crying. _

"_Save the baby, Claire."_

"_Save the…save the baby…save…baby…save him Claire…" echoed voices._

Claire woke up sweaty again. This had become a routine for her for the past week or so. She panted for a moment till she realized it was only a dream. She ran her hand through her hair and took a deep breathe. She sat for a moment then decided that she really did need to talk to someone. She wanted to talk to one of the few people she trusted, Jack. She got up, took Aaron out of his crib, and walked out of her tent. She spotted Jack sitting by the fire throwing wood into it. Claire walked up to him and sat down. He smiled at her; she smiled back.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Jack?" she asked.

"Sure, Claire, what is it?"

She exhaled before speaking.

"You know I've been having nightmares lately, right?"

Jack nodded.

"Well, in my dreams, Charlie keeps telling me that I have to 'save the baby.' And he's always really…bloody and scary. Then I have these strange flashes of the jungle or a dark room or Charlie tied to a tree…I just don't understand it any more."

Jack nodded slightly before speaking.

"Is that all you dream about?"

"Yeah," she started. "And…sometimes I see Charlie and camp."

Jack's eyes widened and froze for a moment.

"You see Charlie around camp?"

"Yes, at first he just smiled at me and ran away, but then…he kept on telling me to 'save the baby' and he was a bloody mess. It really started to scare me."

Claire put her chin in her hands and stared at the fire. Jack just looked at Claire for a minute then at the fire. 

"Maybe you're just not letting go of him. I remember when Charlie had told you to 'save the baby,' but Aaron was okay. Maybe you…"

"I'm not going crazy if that's what you're implying." She said cutting Jack off. "These aren't just memories or anything. Charlie is trying to tell me something."

"What's he trying to tell you?"

"…That the baby is in danger. But…I just don't know what to do."

Jack paused for a moment.

"Maybe you could keep a dream journal. Write down what you dream, and then we can try to see if we can make sense of it all."

Claire nodded. It actually was a pretty good idea. So Claire went back to her tent and grabbed one of her extra journals. She wrote down what she had just dreamt. 

_**-At the airport with Aaron**_

_**-Saw John, Jack, Sun, Jin, and Kate.**_

_**-Charlie walked up**_

_**-Aaron vanished**_

_**-Saw flashes of jungle, dark room, bloody tree (? crying**_

_**-"save the baby"**_

Claire closed the journal and cradled Aaron. He playfully tugged at her wavy locks. She sighed before walking back outside and towards Charlie's spot.

Okay. I know none of these are long chapters, sorry. I honestly don't know where I'm going with this story. Give me some time, I'll get ideas!! 

PS-sorry if it takes me a long time to update.


	5. Chapter 4

Oliver

**Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah blah**

**Characters: Claire, Charlie, Aaron (I've forgotten to mention him),**

_**-sitting at diner**_

_**-Charlie walks up**_

_**-Aaron vanishes again**_

_**-"Save the baby"**_

_**-Flashes (I don't recall them)**_

Claire closed her journal. She had been writing in it for the past few days now. Nothing new was really happening in her dreams, though. She sat on her bed for a bit, just thinking. Claire saw Charlie at the corner of her eye. He was standing in the corner, smiling. Claire had gotten used to seeing Charlie. She just looked at him and smiled. Her smile slowly turned to a frown. She had expected him to go all 'save the baby' on her.

"Hello, Claire," he said walking towards her.

"Hi, Charlie," she replied looking down. "…Charlie, why do you keep scaring me?"

He paused for a minute. Claire looked up at him waiting for his answer. He knelt down next to her looking warmly into her eyes.

"Claire, I don't want to scare you; you just won't listen to me."

Claire was confused. She shook her head.

"I understand what you're telling me Charlie, I just don't know what I'm saving Aaron from."

"…You're running out of time, Claire. You have to save him." Charlie said standing back up.

Claire stood up and stared at Charlie.

"What's going to happen, Charlie? What am I protecting him from?"

"You just need to protect him Claire, you _have _to. Time is running out!"

"Charlie!"

After that, Charlie vanished. Claire was left sweating, staring at the corner of her tent. She must have woken up Aaron because he started to cry. Claire quickly picked him up. She rocked him back and forth quietly humming a song trying to calm him down. He stopped crying.

Claire was now starting to get worried. What is going to happen to Aaron? She looked down at her baby and gently kissed him on the top of the head. She didn't want to let him go, but she new he needed to sleep. Claire placed Aaron back in his crib and rocked it slightly till the little baby drifted off to sleep.

_**LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA**_

_**A few nights later-**_

_Claire walked in a grocery store with Aaron in the cart. They were heading to the produce section. Charlie stood there, examining some onions. When he her Claire approach he turned around and headed towards her; he wasn't smiling. _

_"Claire…" he said._

_"Hi, Charlie," Claire replied._

_There was a big crash behind Claire. She turned around to see what happen. Everything was fine. She turned back towards Charlie. Charlie was on his knees, bleeding and crying. He looked up at Claire; she wasn't sure what to do._

_"Claire," he sobbed. "It's too late."_

_ "Wh-what?"_

_"You didn't save to baby…it's too late…it's too late."_

_Claire's heart pounded faster. She looked back at her cart, Aaron was gone. Claire ran over to her cart then started to run throughout the store, shouting for her baby._

_"Aaron! Has anyone seen my baby? Aaron!"_

_She turned around the corner. Charlie was standing at the middle of the isle. She could hear Aaron's cries in the background. Claire started to cry._

_"Charlie, where is Aaron!?"_

_He looked up at her. His eyes were white; he was still bloody. _

_"You're too late, Claire…you're too late."_

_Charlie pulled out a gun from his back pocket and pointed it at Claire. Her heart stopped._

_"No!" she shouted._

_He pulled the trigger…BANG!_

"No!" Claire shouted as she woke up. She breathed heavily until she realized everything was okay. She wiped away her tears. She thought about writing it in her journal, but wanted to hold Aaron first. For a while there, she thought her baby was gone; she had thought that Charlie was actually going to kill her. Claire shook off those thoughts. She got up and walked over to Aaron's crib. He was…he was gone! Claire panicked. She ran out of her tent. She could here the faint cries of a baby, they came from the jungle. She sprinted towards the cries.

"Aaron! My baby, someone's taken my baby!"

People started to come out of there tents to see what the commotion was all about. Claire ran into the jungle. She kept following to cries. Soon, they became too faint to hear. She stopped for a moment to catch her breathe, but only for a second. She started running again.

"Aaron!"

In only a few seconds, everything went black. Claire fell to the ground with a throbbing head. Someone must have knocked her unconscious. Those words ran through her head until it all went black.

"You're too late, Claire…too late…you didn't save to baby…the baby, Claire, the baby…you're…too…late…"

Hey guys! I just want to thank bonboni for giving me these **awesome** ideas for my story! Thanks so much!! Hopefully I'll be putting up the next chapter soon!


	6. Chapter 5

Oliver

**I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY!! I have not updated in forever!! I can not apologize for this enough!! So, I won't be able to update for a while because of school but I WILL be updating!! By the way, I still will need ideas for further chapters, so please give me your ideas!! P.S.-checkout my poll on my homepage!! Thank you, you guys are the BEST!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**Characters: Claire**

_Oh what…oh my head…_

Claire's mind became less hazy. The pain in her head came back in an instant as if someone stabbed her with a blade. The cold floor sent shivers down her spine as her hand twitched trying to getting feeling back into her. Her head kept spinning that she wished she was still unconscious just so the pain would go away. She slowly tried to open her eyes but her head just ached more; she shut her eyes sharply. Claire finally got feeling back in her fingers and started to twitch her legs—it took a few minutes to be able to feel the rest of her body. Even slower than before, she tried to open her eyes. Her head screamed in pain but she fought back. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark room she laid in. It was a small room, perhaps a basement, with one barred window that shimmered with small streaks of sunlight. A single light hung over her head providing smallest amount of light. The cement floor was damp from the dripping pipes on the ceiling and was infested with rats. A single chair plastic sat in the middle of the small room with a tray of food on top of it. Claire ignored the food; her appetite was not the issue here, not that she had one.

Claire's memory slow began to return when she saw the baby blanket on the back of the plastic chair. Claire stumbled to her feet, trying to keep balance. She slowly wobbled over to the chair trying to push away her pain. She reached out and brushed the blanket softly with her finger tips. Claire's face twisted in fear. All of her memories smacked her right in the face.

_The dream, Charlie, "you're too late," Aaron crying, running after him, black out…WHERE IS MY BABY!?_

Claire swiped the blanket into her hands looking at it intensely as if it could tell her where Aaron was. She through the blanket on the floor and ran to the metal door. Claire jerked at the handle fiercely pleading to herself that it would open. She gave up on the door handle and began banging on the door. The quick pounding echoed throughout the small room reminding Claire that she was trapped without an escape. Claire started shouting hoping to get her captors attention.

"Where is my baby? Give him back to me! Aaron!! My baby, I want my baby!!"

Claire's shouts quickly turned into sobs. She slid to the floor still lightly hitting the door.

"My baby," she cried. "Please, my baby…"

It felt like days had passed by. Claire didn't want to touch the food her captor (or captors) had left her, but her stomach made that decision for her. She quietly ate the sandwich left for her still trying to contain her soft whimpers. She kept imagining what was happening to Aaron. Was he safe? Was he sleeping soundly in a crib or lying on the floor like me? Was her being taken care of…was he alive? Claire shoved that thought out of her head repeatedly telling herself that he was in good care, sleeping soundly in a crib, alive. She new that it was probably a lie but she refused to think such thoughts. Claire threw her scraps into the corner for the rats and hugged her knees against her chest, rocking slightly. Images of Charlie flashed through her mind. _So this is what he meant. _She thought. _How the hell was I supposed to know that he was gone while I was sleeping? _Claire knew that it was all her fault. Charlie had warned her, but she wouldn't listen. She was to blame for her son's kidnapping, she was to blame for her son's death.

Claire went back to the thought of Charlie. She kept thinking to herself how she wished he were her with her, holding her hand, telling her it was alright…but it wasn't. She wanted so desperately so hear his velvet voice, to look into his soft, loving eyes, to see his perfect smile. Claire shut her eyes and kept praying and praying that when she opened them, Charlie would be there. She slowly opened her eyes and began to cry. Charlie wasn't there.

More hours passed…or was it days? Time was the last thing that Claire was thinking about. It felt like she had been trapped in that small room for decades. The temperature slowly increased and the air felt like a heavy mist—it must be midday. Claire wiped her hand across her forehead, swiping off the beads of sweat that were forming. Claire began to think of who her captor was. Was it The Others? The French Woman? Was it someone whom she had never met? What could they possibly want with Aaron? Her racing mind was interrupted with the light pitter-patter of foots steps outside the metal door. Claire froze. She could here the door start to unlock—new beads of sweat began to form. The door slowly creaked open revealing her captor.

Thanks you guys!! You are totally awesome!! Don't forget to give me your ideas!!


	7. Chapter 6

Oliver

**Disclaimer: I, in no way, own Lost**

**Characters: Claire, Raymond**

The door creaked open letting in the scent of fresh air. Claire stood up and backed up against the wall, balling her hands into fists. _So this is the bastard who took my baby. I'll punch him right in the gut before I get out of here._ Claire planned her escape carefully, but before she made a run for it, she would face her captor. The door swung all the way open; a dark figure walked in slowly. It was too dark to see the captor's face in this dim, dank basement. Claire prepared to take a swing at him/her as soon as she saw their disgusting face. Her captor stood right at the brim of the hanging light; just a little closer and Claire could see them. He/she stood there silently, staring at Claire. Claire made observations of this figure. It was male, roughly 6 "4," and lanky but still having some tone. The one thing that Claire could see instantly was his piercing blue eyes in the shadows. Those eyes were so hypnotizing she forgot how tight her fists were. He slowly raised his hand.

"Hello," he said in a deep voice.

Claire didn't answer. She was still swept away from the deep ocean in his eyes. She blinked a few times realizing where she was and what was happening. She looked up at her captor and tightened her fists again. She got herself ready for when she was going to dart out of the room.

"Where is my baby?" she said in a raspy voice.

The man lowered his hand and stared at Claire for a while, almost like he was trying to figure her out. Claire's patience was reaching its extremity. But before she could scream at him and pull a punch, he half smiled and stepped into the light.

"Your son is safe. Please do not worry." his eyes shimmered as he spoke. Claire looked him over. His wavy brown hair lay perfectly across his forehead—his freckles popped out as the light shone on top of him. His broad shoulders hid underneath a dark blue dress shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. His faded jeans hung loosely on his hips. He wore dark brown boots with his jeans tucked into the top. Claire looked back up at his face. He had dimples on both sides of his face, making his smile even more perfect. His smile was weak though, almost forced. And then she looked back into his eyes; those deep crystal eyes. His eyes held secrets and she could almost see a dark past. His eyes held sorrow and pain, so much pain she could hardly bare it.

Claire forced herself to look away. She wanted to go back to the feeling of wanting to punch the crap out of this bastard, but couldn't bring herself to feel that way. She tightened her fists even harder to the point where her fingers went numb.

"Who are you?" she managed to choke out. He half smiled again. He extended his arm towards Claire again.

"I'm Raymond," Claire hesitated but slowly loosened her numb hand and placed in into his large, rough hands. He held her hand gently and kissed the top of it so softly it was almost like he never kissed it. Claire blushed at the gesture but regained her guard. He let go of her hand and slipped his into his pockets casually. He let out a deep sigh and looked back up at Claire.

"I feel like a complete idiot, but I do not know your name." Claire was baffled. How could he not know who she was? He captured her and Aaron; what the hell was going on? Claire folded her arms across her chest.

"You're kidding, right?" she said raising an eyebrow.

He chuckled to himself and shook his head. Raymond didn't seem hostile so she figured to relax since it seemed she wasn't going to slug him and try to escape which seemed like a real stupid idea now that she thought about it. Claire slid to the ground and sighed, laying her head against the wall.

"I'm surprised. I'm kind of a big deal ya know? And since you kidnapped me and all, I'm kind of disappointed you don't know who I am."

Raymond smiled again and crouched down. When he got to her level, all of his humor was gone. The pain was back in his eyes.

"I truly am sorry that this happened to you. But you must understand, this was not my doing."

Claire sighed again while looking down at her hands.

"You're sorry. Yeah." She said trying to sound sarcastic but the pain melted through it. Raymond's face reflected the pain in her voice.

"I really am sorry." He said almost in a whisper. She could feel that he wanted to sit next to her and comfort her but contained himself. She silently thanked him; she wasn't ready to be touched yet. Claire stared into his eyes again trying to find a way to hate him. She sighed once more in defeat.

"I'm Claire." She said quietly. She looked up at Raymond again to see him smiling. Not his pained, forced smile, but a real genuine smile.

"I have a niece named Claire," he said looking down at his hands remembering good memories it seemed. "It's a beautiful name."

Claire smiled back. She watched his eyes glisten with happy thoughts and almost envied him. The thought of someone you loved rang through her head. Her Aaron, where was her baby? Tears started to well in her eyes but she choked them back.

"Please give Aaron back to me." She said struggling to contain her whimpers. Raymond looked back up to her pained face and all of the happiness melted away from his face and transformed into a sad and guilty expression. Claire could tell he couldn't. She knew right from the start no one would simply give Aaron back. Her tears threatened to fall but she fought back.

"I'm sorry." his reply hardly audible. "I…I can't."

Claire couldn't contain her tears anymore. She let them fall and turn into sharp sobs. Claire lunged into Raymond's arms not even caring that he was the enemy; she just needed someone to hold her—any one. Raymond was shocked from her movement but didn't push her back. Instead, Raymond held her gently in his arms rubbing her back in comforting circles.

"Shhh, Claire it'll be okay." He whispered trying to calm her violent sobs. She could hear the immense pain in his voice. She wanted to be happy that he was pained; that he felt guilty, but there was something in her that couldn't make her hate him. What was with this guy?

**Thanks you guys! Make sure to give me your ideazzz!!**

**P.S.-sorry if you thought that Raymond was Charlie at first. I just realized it now! :P**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Not mine, sorry**

**Characters: Claire, Raymond**

**Ok, this chapter is short, sorry!!! The next one will be better!!!**

A few days had past and she was still in that damn basement. She felt as if she was being tortured by slowly rotting away. She didn't cry as much, or speak for that matter. The only moment during the day when she spoke was from 3:20pm to 3:55pm; when Raymond came in. He started to grow on her. She wanted so badly to detest him…so badly. But there was something about him—something that filled that deep hole in her heart. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason, it just felt right.

After a while, Raymond started sneaking Claire food. Not the crappy food that she had received before, but good food. One time he brought her a peanut butter sandwich and she burst into tears. Too many memories were held in a single jar of peanut butter.

Raymond briskly walked down to the door and opened it to see Claire's poignant expression splashed across her face. His smiling face fell into a sympathetic look. From the sadness in her eyes, he could tell what was on her mind; Aaron, her son.

"Raymond…please," she asked when she noticed him.

"I know…" Raymond replied looking down at his muddy boots. He could hear small sniffles coming from her. She looked back up at him and sighed. Claire stood up and folded her arms. Raymond looked back up at her. She gestured him over, opening her arms for a hug. Raymond was confused but he went to her anyways. Claire's eyes narrowed. _Just a little closer, _she thought. When they were a few feet apart, Claire stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders roughly. She then pushed him to the side, causing him to topple over the plastic chair. When he hit the ground, he could see her running toward the door. Claire jerked the door open wildly and sprinted up a long case of stairs. She looked around quickly and ran where ever she thought there might be an exit. There were many rooms, all of which had numbers on the door. She peeked into every window, making sure not to be noticed. There was no sign of Aaron so far. Her heart was racing. She knew Raymond would come after her. All she wanted at this moment was to see her baby; that was it. She could hear someone running up stairs behind her. She darted down the hall, just glimpsing into each room, trying to stay out of sight of Raymond.

"What are you doing Claire?"

Claire stopped in her tracks. She turned to her side slowly and saw Charlie leaning against the wall. A tear fell from her face. _Charlie…_

"What…where have you…Charlie…" she said, trying to find the right words to say. She hadn't seen him in what felt like years. After a while, she thought that he'd abandoned her; forgotten her. He looked at her seriously.

"Don't do this Claire. You're just endangering yourself and Aaron." he said. His eyes dug into her soul, causing her to shiver a bit. Deep insider her she knew he was right, but Aaron was her life. She _needed _to hold him, to touch him, to see him. Claire closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Charlie, I need to do this. I need to."

Charlie looked down the hall and nodded his head toward one particular door; number 44. She looked at the door and looked back at Charlie; he was gone. Claire didn't have time to think about it. She ran down the hall. She was a few doors away when she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her to a stop. She turned around and saw Raymond sweating and clutching her arm. She tried to yank out of his grip but it was ineffective. When she looked into his eyes, his piercing blue eyes, she didn't see anger or frustration. She saw something pleading in them.

"Please," he panted "Don't do this Claire. You're just endangering yourself and Aaron."

Claire froze at his words. Charlie's image flashed through her mind.

"Charlie, I need to do this."

Raymond looked at Claire with confusion. She looked back at him and realized what she had said.

"I, I mean Raymond." she said as she thought to herself. _Why did she call him Charlie? He obviously wasn't him. _Raymond let go of her arm and put his hand on her shoulder. He sighed deeply.

"I can let you look at him so you know he's safe, but that's all I can do. I'm already risking it as it is."

Claire looked up at him and smiled with wet eyes. She nodded, mentally saying 'thank you.' He slowly led her toward door number 44. When they made it to the door, Claire peeked through the window to see a baby's crib with Aaron sleeping soundly in it. Beside the crib was an older lady gently rocking the crib back and forth, murmuring a lullaby softly. Claire pulled away and began to sob. Her baby was safe, he was ok! She slid to the floor and put her face in her hands.

"Thank you…" Claire managed to get out. Raymond knelt down beside her and rubbed her arm gently. Raymond stopped for a moment and looked up. Claire looked up too and saw two men down in the hall pointing guns at them…

**Okay, I know I've said this a million times before but I truly am sorry for the majorly long delay!!!! It's just that school, homework, blah blah blah, all the usual excuses. :P So I probably won't update for a week or so because exams are coming up for me and I need to do some hard core studying. But rest assured, I WILL update when I'm done, I promise!!**

**O p.s.- I think I finally have an idea for this story, and I think you guys are really going to love it :D it's probably going to get pretty intense though. **

**O, other ps- I didn't mean to type "6"4"" for Raymond's height because I realized how huge he would compare to Claire, so just imagine him shorter if you would so choose to ;P**

**Anyways, reviews are always wonderful. They help give me inspiration and the want and need to write!**

**Thanks you guys!!**


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: nope

Characters: Claire, Raymond, guards.

Raymond's face went pale when he saw the two men. Claire put her hand on his shoulder. Raymond looked back at her and gave her a reassuring nod as if to say "It's ok, they won't hurt you. I promise." Raymond stood up slowly.

"He! Was tun Sie hier Made?" shouted one of the men with the guns. Claire couldn't understand a word that they shouted. She looked back at Raymond; he was reaching for something in his back pocket. The men raised there guns. "He!"

Raymond stopped and put one hand up. "Ich habe eine Ausweiskarte."

One of the men stepped forward while the other one kept his gun on Claire. The one who stepped forward had a large scar across his face and an eye missing. He sneered at Raymond.

"Zeigen Sie mich." he replied.

Raymond reached back into his back pocket and pulled out a card. He held it up to the scar man. "Ich bin Raymond," he started. "Meine Kennummer ist 246013."

He looked at the card and sneered again. He lowered his gun, but still kept a good grip on it. The other man did so also.

"Erkläre mir Made so, was Sie tue in Sektor 14 sein.? Sie sollen unten in Sektor 2." he said nodding toward Claire. Claire looked up at Raymond wondering what they were talking about. Raymond kept his face stern. He looked back to Claire but only for a second.

"Gut sehen Sie…" he started.

"Was tut sie oben hier!?" Claire jumped a little. Raymond had a hint of fear on his face but it was replaced with another firm face.

"Es war mein Fehler, ich sich entschuldigt. Es geschieht nicht wieder." Raymond said strongly.

The scar man turned back to his partner and turned back to Raymond. The scar man then ran up to Raymond and slammed him against the wall, putting his gun on his neck. Raymond gasped for oxygen and swallowed sharply. Claire stood up and started to run toward Raymond but the second man grabbed her and threw her on the ground; he cocked his gun and pointed it at her. It was a clear signal to not move. The scar man brought his mouth up to Raymond's ear.

"Schrauben Sie nicht mit uns," he whispered while putting more pressure on the gun. Raymond's lungs pleaded for more air. His airways were almost completely cut off.

"Weil, wenn Sie tun, wir Sie brechen und dann beenden wir Sie." Raymond's face went pale. A tear fell from Claire's face. She wished she knew what they were saying; she wanted him to stop hurting Raymond. She just wanted everything to stop!

"Verstehen Sie mich?" he asked. Raymond's hands were shaking. The scar man's face twisted in anger.

"Ich sagte Sie verstehe mich!?" he yelled; his voice echoing through the halls. He let go of Raymond and threw him on the ground; Raymond weezed. He lifted up his gun over his head and hit Raymond's side. Raymond cried out and cringed in pain. He swung the gun again hitting Raymond's face this time. Blood splattered across the floor. Claire's heart dropped. She couldn't take this, she couldn't. The scar man lifted his gun again.

"Stop!"

Both men with the guns looked over at Claire. She was sobbing. "Please…just stop…"

The scar man laughed and raised the gun up again. Raymond closed his eyes awaiting the next blow.

"Alaric." said the second man. The scar man looked up.

"Das ist genug." He said firmly. Scar man smiled. He shook his head then straightened himself. He spit on Raymond then walked down the hall and out the doors.

Claire crawled over to Raymond, still crying. Raymond slowly lifted himself up on his elbow, spitting out some blood. Raymond started to stand up but started to fall. Claire grabbed Raymond and held him steady, slowly sitting them down. Raymond closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Blood covered the whole right side of his face along with a bright red mark on his neck. Raymond then looked over at Claire.

"We have to go back don stairs now." He said, starting to get up.

"Raymond wait, you can't walk!" but Raymond was already stumbling down the hall. Claire ran over and helped him down the halls and down the stairs.

When they got back to the basement Claire sat Raymond down on the plastic chair. She grabbed her glass of water from her dinner tray and the cloth napkin. She poured some water on the cloth and started to clean Raymond's face. Raymond pulled his head away.

"Claire you don't have to do that."

Claire sighed. "Yes I do."

They sat in silence while Claire wiped away the blood. There was a big gash on Raymond's head. Claire put pressure on the wound. Raymond winced. Claire put the cloth down and bent down next to Raymond.

"Who were they?"

Raymond sighed. "They were guards."

"What were you saying to each other?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. It was my fault."

"'Nothing I need to worry about?' What the hell are you talking about!? They just attacked you! How can I not worry about that?"

Raymond looked at Claire. "You shouldn't worry about me. I'm the enemy remember?"

Claire stood up and paced the room. She would have slapped him if he hadn't been beaten to a pulp. She shook her head.

"Raymond you're different. You aren't like those men." She said gently.

He bowed his head. "You don't know that. You don't know me."

"Yes I do! You are a good man."

He shook his head. "You're wrong. You have no idea what I've done; who I've hurt. You don't know what I am ashamed of." He said as tears welled up in his eyes. Claire walked forward and took his hand. He turned his head away from her.

"You are not who you were. No matter what you did or who you hurt, you are a better person. What you did is in the past. You have to believe that."

Raymond shook her hand off and stood up. "Don't you judge me! Don't you tell me that what I've done is in the past; that my sins are just forgiven!" he turned his back to her.

"You don't know what I've done…" is voice hardly audible.

**Ok, so I know that I'm a total liar. I said that I'd update after exams. Well…due to the weather, school was canceled for like 3 days, causing the exams to be pushed back. Then, my computer totally whacks out and I couldn't get internet for a long time. And while I was writing this, I was very hesitant because it was screwing with my original plan for this story, but I think I can make it work. So, I hope you liked it, o ps-they were speaking German. I know it's kind of hard to figure out what was going on but it just makes the suspense better (:**

**O, pps-sorry Charlie hasn't been mentioned that much lately. He will be, I promise ;) heheheheheheheheeheeeeeee (I finally have a plan, yaay!)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer – not mine**

**Characters: Raymond, Claire, Charlie**

**I'm back :)**

Raymond sat in his quarters examining his wounds. He winced while I finished cleaning it off and put a bandage on it to stop the bleeding. He looked at himself in the mirror; sadness filled his eyes. _What the hell am I doing? _He thought. He rubbed his eyes. Raymond went over to his bed and lay down on top of the sheets. He put his hands over his face, sighing deeply. He thought back to what he had said when he was with Claire; God was he an idiot. He remembered his words exactly: "You don't know what I've done…" Raymond balled his hands into fists in frustration. Memories from his past crept into his mind, slowly killing him. He would never forget it…

Raymond lied there for twenty minutes before he fell into a deep sleep and all too soon it was 6 am and time to get up. Raymond slowly got up and scratched his neck before looking in the mirror. It wasn't as bad as he had expected. His face was swollen from the gash on his face and he noticed a couple bruises here and there. He was sure that some of the men would give him a hard time about it but he honestly didn't care. All he cared about was the sad woman down in the basement. He shook his head. He shouldn't care this much for her – it's not right! She was supposed to hate him, despise him. Why didn't she? Raymond pictured her in his mind and sighed. He loved her. God he hated that he did, but he couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful, so kind and loving. She made him feel like how he used to be before he was on this damned island. She didn't judge him like the others did and most of all she forgave him even though she didn't understand why she was there. A smile crept onto Raymond's face as he thought of all these things.

"Why are you torturing yourself?" he asked himself. He paused for a moment. "Why are you torturing her?"

Claire sat in the basement thinking about earlier. She tried to think of something that Raymond could have done that would break him so badly inside. It hurt her to even think about what he could have done. She wished that he trusted her enough to talk to him but she respected that it was not an easy thing to talk about. She pondered on this for a while then she felt a presence in the room. It was all too familiar. Charlie. He was sitting in the plastic chair in the room staring at her, smiling. Claire's heart warmed automatically and all her pain, worries, and frustrations melted away when she saw him smile. She smiled back as her eyes began to tear up but she held them back.

"Charlie." She said. "Hello, love." He replied with a wink. She got up from where she was and walked over to him. She reluctantly reached out her hand to his. He smiled at her and gently took her hand in his. She gasped when they touched. This was the first time they had touched and God, he felt as real as he had been when he was alive. His hand was so warm, so rough from hard work but gentle as if he was afraid to crush her delicate hand. Claire released her tears with a smile on her face. Charlie stood from the chair and enveloped her in a hug. Claire wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, afraid that if she didn't then he would disappear. Charlie hugged her back and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I love you, Claire." Claire started to sob but managed to reply. "I love you too, Charlie." She said in a whisper. They held each other as close as they could for a long time before Charlie spoke again.

"It's going to be getting dangerous soon, Claire." Claire looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" Charlie let go of her and stepped back a bit. "It's not going to be safe here. You are going to have to leave if you want to survive. You need to get the baby and leave."

"Why?" Claire asked, her voice rising with fear. "What's going to happen?" Charlie walked over and held her hand. "Don't worry I'll protect you, I'll keep you safe."

And just like that, Charlie was gone.

~break~

Raymond done his morning jobs for the day, and had to make his way back to the basement to give Claire her lunch. He was hesitant to go done there but he knew he had to either way. He walked down the stairs, unlocked the door and stepped inside. Claire was sitting in the corner crying softly to herself. Raymond walked over and knelt down in front of her.

"Claire," he whispered, "what's the matter?" She looked up him and tried to smile but failed. "I'm fine, really." He doubted that highly but decided not to press on it. He sat down beside her and looked over at her.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you last night."

Claire looked at him and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't know you and I shouldn't have acted like I knew everything about you."

Raymond smiled at her but it faded quickly. "You deserve to know what I did." Claire looked at him in surprise but kept silent so he could talk. Sadness and despair covered Raymond's face at the mere thought of it. His throat started to run dry as he choked back some tears as they formed in his eyes.

"I…" he started. He buried his face in his hand. "I killed my brother."

**I was just suddenly inspired to write today and it took me seriously only 20 min to write this. I'm so glad now because I know exactly what I want to do with this. Thanks everyone for sticking with me this long and for ****Debbie lostgirl ****for encouraging me to write again :) Please review ;)**


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